My 99%s worth

They are making a lot of noise in the media.  They are getting coverage every day.  There are groups taking up the fight in other cities across the country.

And nowhere, anywhere, have I been able to find a mission statement for any of them.

They are occupying Wall Street, and they are camping out, but what do they want? What is their plan to change the status quo? They have people donating food, tons of food, to feed the masses gathered at the parks.  They have built their own tent city, complete with a library.

Why haven’t they put that kind of commitment, creativity, inspiration, and energy into finding a job, or making their own lives better, than sitting around expecting the 1% they are protesting to change?

According to this guy, the 1% are the ones who make more than $350,000 a year. I will never be one of the 1% that influences the politicians.  I will also never been one of the politicians influenced by the 1%.

What I am is a single mom in my 40’s.  A month ago I had a job that was paying the bills, putting a roof  over our heads, food on our table, and afforded us health insurance.  It was not a fancy life, but it was livable. We managed to eat out once a month, and by eat out I mean my daughters got McDonald’s for dinner.

Today I still don’t have a job, and it’s been a month.  I filed for unemployment the day my job ended. And I also started looking for a job.  I knew unemployment could take up to 3 weeks before I saw a dime.  I called the utilities, I called the landlord, I called my parents.  I asked for temporary help with the understanding I would make it right, pay it back, as soon as I got back on my feet.

I spent every day on line applying for every job I could find.  I was on the computer literally 5 hours a day, applying to 7-10 jobs a day.  I sent my resume to every company I could think of that would allow resumes be submitted online.  I could not allow myself to not look for a job, even for a day.

I found food pantries and stood in line at those every week, to get food to supplement what little I could afford to buy in order to feed my kids.  I swallowed my pride, kept looking for a job, and did what I had to do to get by.  I talked to everyone I saw, and listened when people were talking about places that were hiring.

I am not out of the woods yet, as I don’t have a job.  I have a job interview on Monday.  It’s only one out of the many I applied for. Unemployment only required me to apply for 2 jobs a week.  I know there are those out there who will do just that, only apply for those 2 jobs a week.

I am not one of those people.

I will never be one of the 1%, but also don’t expect the world to change because I don’t have the job I want with the paycheck I’d love to grow accustomed to.  I don’t expect to live off of other people, I don’t go looking for handouts so that I can afford to be a stay-at-home-mom.  My job, for the past month, has been to find a job and ways to feed my family.

I am the 99%, and I’m doing the best I can.

I'm a guest blogger!

Back in January, Sassy Scorp posted she was looking for people to write guest posts for her blog.

I’m a self proclaimed attention whore, and relish the opportunity to meet new people so I jumped all over that.

Today? I’m over at Sassy’s Place, Single Mama in LA.  She’s a single mom like me.  We’re not ‘mommy bloggers’, and we both wish there was more of a single mom blogger niche out there for us.

In the meantime?  We’ll create our own.

So go read about my insecurities about getting naked with someone new.  Nothing like going to ‘visit’ a new bloggers place and getting naked all over their blog.

I’m klassy like that.

Please go show me some love, just keep the crazy to yourself

Remember a few days (maybe weeks) ago when I said that Melissa had lost her mind and agreed to let me write a few blog posts for You Won’t Go Blind?

I went live today.

With rules for dating parents.

No, not rules for how to date parents,  rules for parents who are dating again.

So, please, go over to You Won’t Go Blind and check me out.  Leave me some love.  Show Melissa I can bring a whole lot of new readers to the place, just like my milkshakes bring the boys to the yard.

Oh, and don’t mention my dating history.

She doesn’t need to know that yet.

Thanks.

Because nothing screams dating expert like a twice divorced recently dumped single mom of two. Clearly.

I happen to be hanging out on Facebook when I saw Melissa say that yes, it was true, You Won’t Go Blind was looking for new writers if anyone was interested to contact her.

I thought it would be fun, so I fired off a message with links to here, and Buy-Her.com and said I was interested in being considered.  You know because nothing screams relationship expert quite as loudly as a twice divorced, recently dumped, now back in the dating world at the ripe age of 40+, mother of two almost teenage daughters.  I know exactly what I’m talking about. Clearly.

When I happened to mention this new adventure to a couple of my co-workers, after they stopped laughing long enough to take a breath, they asked me “So, has this woman ever met you?”   Well, clearly, no.  If she had?  I’d would have never been given this opportunity.

Of course, now, I can go on dates and consider it research.  As one friend pointed out “You can be St. Louis’s version of Carrie Bradshaw.”  Because that’s exactly what St. Louis needs.  Clearly.

In all seriousness, I can bring to the table knowledge about blending families, single parent dating, dating over the age of 40, on line dating (that’s where/how I met Brian, and regardless of where we are now (Splitsville, barely speaking Splitsville) we dated for 4 years) and unblending families.

I don’t have anything posted there yet, but believe me as soon as I do?  You all will be the first to know about it. I would appreciate it if you all would then spread the word and show me some love because I don’t want Melissa to regret giving me this chance.  I think it will be awesome beyond words and I need some support and love.  PLEASE.  We’ll keep the crazy from her until she realizes just how Awesome I am.